PITCH: Kids Need More Power: Give Them Power Tools by Emily Schiffer

Private Story

PITCH: Kids Need More Power: Give Them Power Tools

Copyright Emily Schiffer 2024

Updated Aug 2021

As children's power and freedom continues to be constricted by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is increasingly important to give them independence and space to be creative and capable problem solvers.

The article would feature Koko NYC's Soap Box Car Workshop as an example of how to meet kids' emotional/ social/ educational/ creative needs. I've been photographing Koko in action, and will also be documenting the South Slope Derby on Saturday August 28th, where Koko closes off 17th street in Brooklyn so that children can race the soapbox cars they've built over the summer. https://kokonyc.org/south-slope-derby-2021/

I envision the article delving into the psychological impact of increased parental eyes, social isolation, and screen time on children's development before describing the pedagogical evidence of why this type of hands-on learning (which includes risk) is wildly beneficial--especially during the pandemic. Access to this type of education is another topic I'd like to include, as this type of learning is most often seen in higher income communities. Koko has an interesting model to address this: 40% of their students are on scholarships, and they also offer in-school programming on a contract basis.

Here's a link to an article about mothering during the pandemic that I published last spring: https://lithub.com/what-we-want-you-to-know-about-mothering-small-children-in-a-pandemic/ Ideally, I'd like to do something in a similar vein, with the writer speaking personally about a collective experience, but of course I'm also open to more traditional reporting.